PEORIA â€” Bart Rogers helped steer the Peoria Rivermen through troubled waters and complete the team's sale to the St. Louis Blues this week.

But on Tuesday, he said bon voyage.

The Rivermen president, and architect of a marketing plan that saved the franchise last spring, abruptly resigned, stunning the Blues and their New York based parent company, SCP Worldwide.

Rogers will be president and general manager of indoor football's Bloomington Extreme, and serve as chief administrative officer of Central Illinois Arena Management, the management firm that runs Bloomington's U.S. Cellular Coliseum.

He will partner there with Mike Nelson and John Butler, both former Rivermen front office execs.

"I wanted to see the Rivermen sale through to the end, I felt I owed that to Bruce Saurs and the fanbase," Rogers said. "I will miss the Rivermen terribly. But as the new ownership came into place, there were some uncertainties I wasn't comfortable with. The opportunity in Bloomington, in terms of salary, benefits, security, is something I just couldn't turn down."

Look..IMO this isn't a huge loss. Mr Sauers spent loads of money on an outside agency to tell Bart and the rest of the crew how to turn the fan base around. Bart went to work in Bloomington for Peoria's two best employees in Nelson and Butler. Those two groomed Bart for the position he held with the Rivs. I hope the new owners can flex some muscle with the Peoria Civic Center authority. The group that screws the AHL Rivermen and treats the team like a second class citizen. Now we need for at least two more in the office to resign and move on. Season ticket sales are at the lowest point coming into July. A lot of loyal ticket holders are not happy with the off season treatment. Bart and the rest used the sale of the team as their escape goat. IMO we need a wholesale change in the office and a fresh new idea to get butts in the seats or Bart will be managing the Rivermen in the 09-10 season when the Civic Center lease is up.

Bart was concerned that the front office staff would eventually be replaced. I don't know for sure...But I would bet knowing how genuine of a man Mr. Sauers is he had a clause that kept employees along for a number of months. If you noticed the other co-owner Anne Griffin left upon sale. Although not hands on she was done.

Each year for the last 6 seasons I would get a happy reminder to renew call by the end of May. I have so much as received an email asking about renewel. Many season ticket holders in my section have yet to be contaced along with others that sponsor at the business level. As I said earlier, they need to clear out two other positions and start fresh.

Bart is THE sole reason I didn't renew mine the last two years. He absolutely refused to answer a simple question I had and as a result lost a season ticket holder of 16 years. I agree, not a big loss to the team or the city.

Airmule wrote:Bart is THE sole reason I didn't renew mine the last two years. He absolutely refused to answer a simple question I had and as a result lost a season ticket holder of 16 years. I agree, not a big loss to the team or the city.

So are you not going to Bloomington now that Bart could be involved there? I thought you were going to be first in line for ECHL Bloomington PrairieThunder games?

If the ECHL does come to Bloomington I will be in line for season tickets. I just like that brand of hockey better. I didn't say I didn't or wouldn't go to Rivermen games, I said Bart is the reason I don't buy season tickets anymore.